Latest News
-
After a reduction in power tariffs, a major South African smelter has restarted.
The South African ferrochrome factory Lion Smelter has resumed operation after a nine-month shut down following a 'one-third reduction' in power costs. Its co-owner announced this on Wednesday. He urged further cost-cutting to ensure long-term viability of the plant. In recent years, more than a dozen South African smelters closed. The country is the world's largest producer of chrome ore and chromite. This has led to thousands of job losses. According to the Minerals Council South Africa, closures are largely due to high electricity prices. These have risen by more than 900% since 2008. Merafe, Lion Smelter’s co-owner, said in a press release that South Africa’s energy regulator approved the 35% tariff reduction, allowing the smelter to re-start. The smelter is owned by Merafe, Glencore, and their joint venture. ?ELECTRICITY RATES NEED MORE CUTS The partnership had shut down the plant in May 2025, along with two other smelters. Merafe stated that the Lion Smelter was able to resume operations after the electricity cost dropped from 0.0851 rand to 87.74 South African Cents per kilowatt-hour. However, this reduction in costs wasn't enough to sustain the operation for the long run. The company also added that the Boshoek smelters and Wonderkop smelters remain inactive. Merafe stated that "all three smelter operation would require a tariff 62c per hour to operate in a way that is commercially viable and sustainable over the long-term." South Africa was the largest?chrome ore processing country in the world, but the closure of smelters meant that it lost its position to China. As it pursued negotiations with authorities over discounted 'power tariffs,' the Glencore-Merafe joint venture suspended the formal process to lay off thousands workers at the mothballed?smelters?late last year. Merafe stated that it hopes to reach a long term agreement on energy costs by the 28th of February, the deadline for resuming the job-cutting procedures.
-
TSX futures are rising as gold and oil prices recover
The futures of Canada's main index of stocks rose on Wednesday as gold and oil prices recovered after their losses during the previous session. Investors awaited minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's January meeting. As of 5:42 a.m., March futures?on??S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 0.48%. ET. Toronto's benchmark index fell 0.5% on February 2, as commodity price declines weighed down mining and energy stocks. This was offset by domestic data that showed the inflation rate in January had increased at a "slower" pace, likely preventing a move to higher interest rates from the Bank of Canada. Spot gold and silver prices rose on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Fed's minutes, which are due to be released later that day. Copper prices recovered as well, thanks to bargain-buying. Investors also look forward to the U.S. The Fed will be releasing its Personal Consumption Spending?report, which is due on Friday, in order to determine the likely monetary policy for this year. According to CME's FedWatch Tool, the markets currently expect the first rate cut in June. Oil prices have also recovered from a slump of more than 2% on Tuesday. However, investors remain cautious despite the Iranian Foreign Minister's statement that the U.S. has reached an agreement with Iran on "guiding principles" to be used in?talks intended to resolve the nuclear dispute. Brent crude futures, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude and Brent crude futures both rose by 0.5%. A severe winter storm impacted the Canadian housing market, causing a 5.8% drop in home sales. After-market earnings released on?Tuesday showed that insurance company iA Financial had reported a fourth-quarter loss below expectations, while miner IAMGOLD posted a quarterly revenue higher than estimates. Agnico Eagle, a gold miner, announced an?additional Investment in Maple Gold Mines. CLICK CODES TO GET CANADIAN MARKETS UPDATES: TSX Market Report Canadian Dollar and Bond Report Global Stocks Poll for Canada Canadian Markets Directory (Reporting and Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri; Reporting by Utkarsh T. Hathi)
-
Ukraine reduces power imports when weather becomes less cold
Analyst DixiGroup said late on Tuesday that Ukraine decreased electricity imports last week by 3% to around 311 gigawatt-hours due to milder weather. This is the?first?decrease in weekly import volume in the last five week. In a report, it stated that electricity exports had remained zero for the past three months. In early February, temperatures in certain parts of Ukraine reached minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22degF), just as Russian attacks knocked down large portions of?the electricity network. DixiGroup said that the gradual rise in temperatures had improved the situation as the warmer weather decreased network load, and reduced the capacity deficit. This partially stabilized supply schedules, and prevented large-scale emergencies. The bulk of the imports came from Hungary (20%), Romania (18%) and Slovakia (18%). Ukraine imported?energy also from Poland and Moldova. This week, Russia struck both thermal power stations and electrical substations in the "Ukrainian Energy" system. The 'full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022 will include a number of attacks on power stations, energy transmission systems and the gas industry. Moscow claims it wants to weaken Ukraine's fighting ability. (Reporting and editing by David Holmes; Pavel Polityuk)
-
Global shares regain footing as AI jitters abate; investors digest Lagarde exit report
The global stock market rose on Wednesday, as investors took a break after a sell-off triggered by artificial intelligence. They also assessed a report that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intends to step down early. STOXX 600 rose 0.8% to a new record high on the back of mining and defence stocks. The pan-European index is now set for its third consecutive day of gains. Wall?Street Futures rose 0.6% the day after the main indices made modest gains. Investors who have suffered from a series of brutal declines over the past few weeks are now able to take a breather. This is due to fears that AI could disrupt the labour market, and render some businesses obsolete, especially in the software sector. "Ultimately, the future is more nuanced and balanced. Julian Klymochko is the CEO of Accelerate Financial Technology, a firm that offers alternative investment solutions. "That being said, it is likely that many software companies will be negatively affected by either an increase in the number of competitors or a reduction in demand for their product." Focus on Potential Lagarde Departure The Financial Times reported on the plans of ECB president Lagarde to 'leave her position ahead of next year’s French presidential elections. She navigated through one of the most volatile times in modern financial history. Charles-Henry Monchau said that if she leaves early, this will mark the end of an era of crisis management, and the start of a high-stakes battle for the future euro. The euro fell 0.2% to $1.1833, while Germany's 10-year Bond Yield, the eurozone benchmark, remained unchanged at 2.74%. Talks to end the conflict in Ukraine have entered their second day. In an interview with Axios?, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy?said that U.S. president Donald Trump exerted undue pressure in order to achieve a resolution. The continued rise in geopolitical tensions will likely reduce the willingness of investors to take risks, said Ryan Sweet. He is managing director for macro forecasting and analyses at Oxford Economics. ASIA FIRM IN THE LIGHT HOLIDAY TRADE Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 1% to end a three-day decline, while Australia's S&P/ASX200 rose 0.5%. Mainland China was closed, as were Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Brent crude oil and West Texas Intermediate crude were both up between 0.2% and 0.3% at $62.47 a barrel, respectively, after they had closed at their lowest levels in more than two weeks during the previous session. After talks in Geneva, Iran's Foreign Minister said that Tehran and Washington reached an agreement on the "guiding principles" for resolving their long-standing nuclear dispute. This eased concerns about a possible military conflict near Strait of Hormuz, which could disrupt the global oil supply. Gold recovered from its early losses. Silver gained 3.5% and was up around $76.05 an ounce. Bitcoin gained 0.7% after three consecutive sessions of losses. Ether, second-largest crypto token, gained nearly 1%, and is on track for its longest winning run since late January. Thomas Perfumo is the global economist for crypto exchange Kraken. He said that "early signals indicate stabilization of the crypto market after the early February 'unwind. The traditional currencies also remained relatively stable. The pound remained at $1.3574, after British inflation data fell in line with expectations. Meanwhile, the dollar gained 0.3% against Japanese yens to 153.7. The U.S. dollar index, which measures greenbacks against a basket major?peers was up by 0.1%. Minutes of the Federal Reserve meeting in January, due on Wednesday, could influence the dollar. They could provide clues on interest rate trends. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was up by nearly 2 basis points, to 4.07%. This is a significant increase from Tuesday's low of 4.02%. Reporting by Scott Murdoch and Niket Nishant, both in Sydney. Kevin Buckland and Lincoln Feast edited the story. Mark Potter was responsible for editing.
-
Peru Congress removes President Jeri due to secret meetings with China
The Peruvian Congress ousted President Jose Jeri on Tuesday, just four months after he began his term. This was due to a scandal surrounding a Chinese businessman's?undisclosed meeting with him. This extended a cycle of political turmoil that has been sweeping the Andean country for the last decade. 75 legislators voted to remove Jeri from office, 24 against it and 3 abstained. The new Congress head will be elected by the legislators. He will then assume Peru's Presidency, making him the eighth President in just as many years. Jeri's removal from office is the third time in a row that Peru has had a president removed. The quick-fire removals show how Peru's political elite has failed to address concerns of voters like crime and corrupt practices. This has left the country in a vicious cycle of short-lived governments with little authority or time to deal with problems, and a Congress that is deeply unpopular and seeks to gain popularity by removing unpopular officials. Ruth Luque is one of the legislators who supported the censure measure. She said that she wanted Jeri replaced with someone who would place public security and interest first before a new President takes office. She said, "We want to put an end to this pain so that we can create the real transition that citizens hope for." "Not a transformation with hidden agendas, influence peddling, secret meetings, and hooded people. "We don't want this type of transition." The 'volatility' of the situation could lead to a greater level of public distrust, as politicians and legislators try to position themselves as presidential candidates. Michael Shifter said, "It seems to me that there's no high-mindedness in this case, only electoral calculations," a former president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank. "Enough legislators concluded that their support for Jeri could hurt them in the elections, so they were forced to act." Last month, Jeri was seen arriving late at night in a restaurant wearing a hood for a meeting with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang. Zhihua Yang owns a number of stores and concessions for an energy project. The meeting wasn't made public. Jeri was elected president of Peru in October, after the unpopular Congress voted to remove Dina Boluarte. The right-wing parties who had supported her abandoned their support due to a growing outrage over crime and corruption scandals. Boluarte did not have a vice president. Jeri was the next in line to succeed him. She was then the head of Congress. The interim status was used on Tuesday to remove him as president. Contrary to impeachment which requires a supermajority (87) of the 130 members of the legislature, Congress censured Jeri and stripped him of his title of head of Congress with a simple majority. Jeri said that he would respect any outcome of the election. VOTING ON NEW PRESIDENT ON WEDNESDAY Fernando Rospigliosi is the current head Congress but has refused to take the presidency. As a result, the legislators must elect a new leader of Congress. This person will automatically become president. Rospigliosi stated that parties had until 6 p.m. local to present their nominees and the legislature will vote on a president on Wednesday. It would be similar to Francisco Sagasti ascending to the presidency of Mexico in 2020, after he had been chosen by Congress amid a political crisis and protests that followed?former president Manuel Merino?s five-day term. There are expected to be dozens of candidates in the April elections. A recent Ipsos survey shows that a large portion of the electorate is undecided on who to vote. The mining-heavy Peruvian economy is resilient despite the political turmoil. It has maintained a 3.4% growth rate in 2025, and a relatively low inflation rate of 1.7%. This shows how the economy remains insulated from political shocks. (Reporting and editing by Rosalba o'Brien, Alistair Bell and Rosalba o'Brien. Additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison.
-
German Statistics Office says that permits for residential construction will rebound in 2025.
Data from the German Statistical Office revealed on Wednesday that the number of housing permits rose for the first time in 2025 after three years of declines. The office reported that permits were granted last year for the?construction?of 238,500 residential units, in both new and existing buildings. This represents a 10.8% increase compared to 2024 when they reached their lowest level since 2010. The number of building permits reported is a good indicator of future construction. In recent years, the industry has been impacted by rising interest rates and high material costs. Verena Hubertz, German Minister of Construction, said that "the mood in the industry is improving and investments are on the rise." She added that a reduction in bureaucracy and?subsidy programs will ensure?that positive trends continue in 2026. The German Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK), a union-affiliated institute, has said that the rise in building permits is a clear indication of a turnaround. Sebastian Dullien, the Institute's Director of Scientific Research, said that "the construction industry has now moved from being a brake on growth to becoming a driver." However, the German association of construction warned against over-enthusiasm. Tim-Oliver Mueller said that not all projects approved would be built. A spring report from real estate experts suggests that only?over 200 new residential units will be built in this year. The Pestel Institute conducted a study that revealed a shortage of 1.4 million houses in Germany. In order to reduce the deficit by 2030, it would be necessary to build around 400,000 homes each year.
-
Naturgy extends the chief's term to 2030, and changes board
As it restructured its board, the Spanish power utility Naturgy announced on Wednesday that it would "propose to shareholders" that Executive Chairman Francisco Reynes remain at the helm of?the company through 2030. These moves follow recent ownership changes at Spain's biggest gas company. This included an increase of free float after a buyback, and its return to the MSCI Indexes in November. IFM, the Australian investment fund, will have a third member on its board, bringing it up to parity with Naturgy, whose largest shareholder is Spanish holding firm Criteria. Both have stakes of approximately 15.5% and 26%. BlackRock's stake in the company, which is now 11.4%, after a recent sale of an?approximately 7% share, will lose one seat, and have two. The company stated on Wednesday that it expects its earnings and profits this year to be comparable with those of 2025. It expects a net profit in 2026 of over 1.9 billion euros ($2.25 billion), up from the 2.02 billion euro it reported for 2025. Naturgy expects its EBITDA to exceed 5.3 billion euros this year. EBITDA in?2025 was 5.33 billion euro. The company expects its investments to reach 2.1 billion euro, up from 2.14 billion euros in 2018. It also expects a dividend payout of at least 1,80 euros per share, compared to the 1.77 it is planning for 2025. The company has reached an agreement on the price of gas with Sonatrach until 2027.
-
Alcoa pays $39 Million for illegally clearing Australian native forests
The Australian Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday that the U.S. aluminum company Alcoa would pay A$55,000,000 ($38.9,000,000) to remediate native forests it illegally removed in Western Australia?in order to mine bauxite. The payment is for nearly 2,100 hectares (5.190 acres) in Northern Jarrah Forest south of Perth that will be cleared without government approval between 2019 and 2025. The Ministry called this payment "unprecedented", as it was the largest ever made. It said that the money would be used to fund initiatives aimed at conservation, including programmes to protect endangered black cockatoos who nest in jarrah tree nests and improve the management of invasive species. Alcoa claimed it complied with Australian laws, while accepting the payment to acknowledge historical clearing. Since the 1960s, Alcoa has been mining bauxite in Western Australia, the raw material used to make aluminium. The company has also cleared approximately 28,000 hectares (69, 000 acres) of jarrah forests native to the state. Alcoa has a workforce of?around 5500 employees in Australia. Around 4,300 are located here. Alcoa has faced increasing opposition to its land clearing activities and the environmental impact they have had on the only remaining jarrah forest in the world. A recent proposal to clear an additional 11,500 hectares attracted a record number of 59,000 public submissions to the state's environmental watchdog. Environment ministry: The government will conduct a strategic analysis to determine the environmental impact of Alcoa’s current and future mining operations?throughout 2045. Alcoa will be allowed to continue clearing "limited land" under the national interest exemption for a period of 18 months to ensure the supply of bauxite during the assessment, it added. Alcoa pledged A$4.2million in additional?offsets' for activities that are covered by this exemption. William Oplinger, CEO of Alcoa, said: "We are committed... to responsible operations. We welcome this important step towards a 'contemporary assessment system that will provide increased certainty for our operations and people in the future." $1 = 1.4152 Australian Dollars (Reporting and editing by Christopher Cushing in Sydney, Lincoln Feast, and Kevin Buckland).
NexGen CEO: Data centres should consider supporting uranium-related projects
NexGen Energy, a Canadian uranium company, has been in preliminary discussions with data centre providers to secure finance for a new mine that would provide fuel for power plants required for artificial intelligence. This was revealed by its CEO on Wednesday.
The demand for artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the massive construction of data centres that are power hungry, which in turn will increase the need for more generation capacity. This includes nuclear plants, which require uranium.
NexGen CEO Leigh Curyer says that big tech firms are following the lead of automakers who, several years ago, offered financing for battery material mine developments to ensure there were enough supplies?for a boom in demand expected for electric vehicles.
"It's coming. It's already happened with automakers. He said that these?tech companies' are under an obligation to make sure the hundreds of millions they invest in data centres?are powered.
NexGen has announced that it is working on its?Rook 1 uranium mine in Saskatchewan, and expects to complete a funding package by the end of the second quarter.
The company has secured a mine permit and is expecting to receive final approval from the government before the end June. It claims that the project could meet more than a fifth of the global demand, and would begin production in 2030.
Curyer, a reporter at the event, said that NexGen had begun discussions with data center providers about finance, including the long-term supply of uranium. However, the talks would not involve a change in 'control of the company.
He didn't name the companies NexGen had been in contact with.
He said, "We are very careful to hold our powder until after approval." "We're looking at all financing options, but we want to keep the leverage on the price of uranium when it is delivered."
The price of uranium is currently trading at around $88 per pound, after reaching a two-year high in late January above $100 per pound on the prospect that China and India will be stepping up their efforts to develop low-carbon nuclear energy to meet their own energy needs.
(source: Reuters)